1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game machine in which a disk (including a coin, a token, a medal and so forth) is directly used as a game element.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a game machine in which a coin is used as a game element, a coin pusher game machine (alternatively called a coin fall game machine) is well known. In this game machine, movement of the coin itself affects a game process. Such game machine is different from, for example, a slot machine in which the coins are paid out as a prize when a game is successful.
In the coin pusher game machine, many coins are piled up on a playing board. The coin pushed out from an edge of the playing board by moving a pusher plate, and dropped therefrom is given to a player. The player inserts the coin toward a proper position of the playing board, watching a moving stroke of the pusher plate and a coin piling state on the playing board. When the inserted coin stops so as not to overlap with another coin and is pushed by the pusher plate to a place where a large number of coins are piled up, the player can obtain many coins.
The coin pusher game machine has peculiar interests regarding some points in that movement of the coin is variously changed by an interaction between the coins piled up on the playing board and the coin pushed by the pusher plate, and in that the coin itself which is one of game elements can be obtained as a prize. However, in such game machine, a place where the coin inserted by the player stops is determined by contingency. Moreover, the player can not make a prediction how the coin is pushed by the pusher plate. Thus, there arises a problem in that player's skill is not fully reflected.
Moreover, a game machine in which the coin is used as its game element, more particularly, the coin is shot up to a playing board is also well known. In such game machine, based on a course of the coin dropping on the playing board, a game result is judged and, according to this, a score is given to the player. Also in this case, the game result is more affected by the contingency rather than the player's skill. Accordingly, there arises a problem in that the player loses interest.